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Raheem Sterling, the Manchester City and England forward, has been named the 2019 footballer of the year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA). He topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership as a clear winner, with 62% of the votes.

Notes:
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeded Air Marshal Anil Khosla. Prior to this post, Bhadauria was head of IAF’s Bengaluru-based Training Command. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on June 15, 1980 with the Sword of Honour. He went on to hold several important positions such as Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Senior Air Staff Officer at the Central Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff from January 2016 to February 28, 2017. Bhadauria served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command from March 1, 2017. He took over as the chief of the Bengaluru-based Training Command on August 1, 2018.

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The Time 100 Most Influential People 2019 list named the world’s most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of the year. The list includes Indian-American comedian and TV host Hasan Minhaj, US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, iconic golfer Tiger Woods and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Here, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and two women Public Interest Litigators (PIL) Arundhati Katju and Menaka Guruswamy have been featured by TIME magazine in its prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Arundhati & Menaka led the legal battle for LGBTQ rights in India.

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Pungam Kannan (80), the former Indian footballer, has passed away at Kolkata, West Bengal. Born in Vandavasi in Tamil Nadu, Kannan played 14 matches for India & was the former Mohun Bagan & East Bengal forward. He won Santosh Trophy for Bengal twice in a row (1971-73) and was the top-scorer. It was legendary German coach Dettmar Cramer who had given him the best appreciation by calling him ‘Pele of Asia’ in 1968 when he was invited by the AIFF to conduct two-week coaching in Mumbai.

Notes:
The International Dance Day (IDD) is observed every year on 29th of April to celebrate the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of modern ballet. The day is a celebration day for those who can see the value and importance of the art form dance, and acts as a wake-up-call for governments, politicians and institutions which have not yet recognised its value to the people. It strives to encourage participation and education in dance through events and festivals held on the date all over the world.